Sep 05, 2017

The LIFE Program (Leisure in Fun Environments) at the Rehabilitation Centre for Children offers many recreation and wellness programs for our children, youth and families! The LIFE Program is generously funded by the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation. It includes:

Active Living Centre

RBC Therapeutic Recreation and Wellness program

Summer day camps

Family is the most important environment for any child. We believe that learning happens best when we are in a physically and emotionally safe place, and have caring relationships with family and friends. We get to know the children and youth so that we can meet each one at their own ability level. We provide opportunities for independent thinking and decision making with trusted guides. The journey is more important than the destination! This means that the memories we make together and the skills we learn along the way are what matter most. We make sure that all of our programs help our children and youth reach their full potential!

Summer Day CampsWe have six weeks of Summer Day Camps, for youth aged 12-21. There are a few spaces in camp for younger children with complex physical care needs. Camps are in July and August, and campers can come to camp for up to two weeks. Sun and Fun Camp starts at the same place every day, for campers who like having a predictable day. These camps have swimming, art, music, crafts, bike rides, water fights, yoga, bowling, and sports. Out and About Camp starts at a different place each day. Campers can go to water slides, the zoo, Fort Whyte Alive, Fringe Festival, bowling, mini-golf, archery, and museums. We have the same number of Recreation Support Workers as campers, so that each camper gets the support they need to have a great time at camp!

RBC Therapeutic Recreation and Wellness ProgramThese programs are available during the school year (September to June), after school and on weekends. These programs are for children and youth up to age 21. We have many different programs, such as Saturday Night for Teens, Cooking Clubs, yoga, music therapy, bowling, gardening, Test-Drive-A-Bike Days, swimming, Fall Festival, and Spa Day. There is something for everybody, and our Recreation Support Workers make sure everybody gets the support they need. Some of our programs are for the whole family, so that parents and siblings can join in the fun!

Active Living CentreThis is an equipment loan program. Families, therapists and schools can borrow equipment for free for 3-week periods. We have many different types of equipment, including specialized and adapted bikes, beach wheelchairs, flotation aids, wetsuits, cooking equipment, balance devices, adapted games, and sports equipment.

Where can I learn more?You can read more about the LIFE Program on our Programs and Services page or in our information sheet. You can also watch a webinar about our program philosophy here. If you would like to be added to our contact list to receive program registration information, please contact Yvonne at (204) 258-6500 or yvonnek@rccinc.ca.

Jun 01, 2017

There are many different Loan Programs at SSCY Centre that clients and families can borrow from! Here are some of the things you can borrow. Click here for more information about each program.

SSCY Family Resource Centre Library

The SSCY Family Resource Centre is in The Square. In our Library we have over 2000 harder-to-find resources about special needs and general health issues, including:

books, videos and DVDs about specific disabilities or conditions

story books about or including children with special needs

books addressing the concerns of siblings and parents

general parenting resources

education issues

pamphlets

newsletters

magazines and journals

You may sign out most resources for a four-week period. We are able to mail print and video resources to Manitoba locations outside of Winnipeg. You can see a full list of resources here.

Take-Out-Toy Service

The Take-Out-Toy Service (TOTS) is in the SSCY Family Resource Centre in The Square. TOTS has a variety of specially adapted electronic toys for use by children with special needs, in addition to over 200 developmental toys. Contact us at (204) 258-6533 to learn more about our toys.

Specialized Communication Resources for Children Library

The Specialized Communication Resources for Children (SCRC) Library is in the Speech and Hearing Junction. We have over 700 children’s picture books for anyone to borrow. Picture communication symbols have been added to the text to help with learning and understanding.

We also have picture-based language learning activities that go with some of our books. These activities are a fun way to practice using pictures to communicate.

Books and materials can be borrowed for up six months. Contact us at aac@rccinc.ca to come for a library orientation and become a borrower.

Active Living Centre (Recreation Equipment)

The Active Living Centre is in The Square. Our goal is to promote active living and healthy lifestyles! We have a variety of equipment that families can borrow to help their child be more active. Families and professionals can borrow equipment for several weeks at a time. Contact us at (204) 258-6537 to learn more about our equipment.

May 01, 2017

RBC Cruisin’ Down the Crescent is coming up quick and we are getting so excited! The annual event is one of Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation’s biggest fundraisers; it’s also one of our favourites. Watching our community of supporters make their way down Wellington Crescent to help us achieve our mission is always an exhilarating time for us!

It’s incredibly inspiring to see families, friends, coworkers and neighbours come together for this event—supporting and celebrating the children who benefit from our work.

This year’s Parade Marshall, Tihuk, is one of the thousands of Manitoba children who will benefit from the generosity of the runners, walkers, and bikers making their way down Wellington Crescent.

Tihuk is an outgoing five-year-old who loves exploring new places and meeting new people. For Tihuk’s parents, buying a bike for their adventurous son was an easy decision. However, finding one he could ride was far more difficult. Tihuk has cerebral palsy, which means he needs extra support for proper stability. Buying a bike off a store shelf wasn’t an option. His parents had given up hope on Tihuk riding a bike until the foundation funded a bike that was custom-built to fit his specific needs.

One piece of equipment has opened up a whole new world of independence and freedom for Tihuk and his family. Now, he loves cruising down the street alongside his friends and always makes sure to ring his bell for people passing by! With the continued support from the community for this event, we are able to make stories like Tihuk’s possible.

Tihuk and his family will be cutting the ribbon at this year’s event and leading the way down our brand new route along Wellington Crescent. We’ve moved our start location to Andrew Currie Park, located at 1420 Wellington Crescent—between Lanark and Renfrew. Our 4km walk will head east to Guelph Street, then turn around and head back to Andrew Currie Park for a BBQ lunch, live entertainment, face painting and prize draws!

To register for this year’s RBC Cruisin’ Down the Crescent, you can visit crf.mb.ca. And make sure to join the conversation online by using #rbccruisin17!

Apr 02, 2017

The Prosthetics & Orthotics Department is very excited to announce our new state of the art CAD/CAM system (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) for use in everyday practice! The system will be used to improve the design and fabrication process of both in-house and pre-made devices. It will replace the current use of plaster and fibreglass bandage to make a model of the client’s limb, and plaster of paris to design the device shape and for fabrication of the final device. The new CAD/CAM system was created by Canadian manufacturing company Vorum Research Corp.

The process:

The system uses a 3D blue light optical scanner to make a 3D digital model of the client’s limb

The Certified Prosthetist or Orthotist modifies the device in digital design software, and sends the file to the Registered Prosthetic/Orthotic Technician

The Technician carves a positive model out of a light weight foam block on a 3-axis CNC carver (a computer controlled carver)

The Technician makes the final device over this model

Benefits of the new system include:

more accurate shape capture

faster design and fabrication time with more options

fast prototyping and adjustments for growth

better data storage and retrieval

and an improved client experience!

Our team has a goal of using this new system for 90% of our fully custom-made devices by August of 2018. The system, both the hardware and software, is industry-leading technology. RCC is one of the first centres in Canada to use the full system. In the future we hope to use this system with other new technologies, like 3D printing. Our team is very excited to see how this new technology will help us improve client care!

Feb 21, 2017

Bree is the friendly Concierge here at the Specialized Services for Children and Youth (SSCY) Centre. Before we opened we asked our families what they wanted in SSCY Centre. A lot of families said they wanted someone to help them with equipment, directions, information…and anything else they might need when they come to the Centre. So that is what our Concierge is here for! This brand new position was made to have somebody to help families with anything they need in the building.

Each day is different, but what is unchanged is Bree’s dedication to helping. She is a Rehabilitation Assistant by training. She is here to help with things like transferring your child in and out of your vehicle, helping with parking, and helping move your equipment within SSCY Centre. She can also give you information on amenities within SSCY Centre and our neighbourhood, such as restaurants or the fastest route to the bus depot or airport.

On any given day at SSCY Centre you will find her cleaning toys, moving equipment, checking in specialized bicycles and books, or delivering materials to different departments. However, she makes it her priority to help clients and families first! Please feel free to ask her if you have any questions, want some directions, or need any help.

SSCY Centre has programs where you can sign-out specialized items (view some of the cool things that are available here), and she also helps with these programs. She helps with quality checks and sanitation, to make sure these items are working properly and are safe for you to use at home.

Regularly, families will come to SSCY Centre with equipment that needs to be modified, such as a bicycle or high-chair. Or, maybe it needs to be returned from loan-out, such as a specialized car-seat or snow sled. Equipment such as walkers and wheelchairs are also delivered, and they need to be taken to our holding room. For these things Bree is your go-to person, and she is happy to help you and your family get this done!

Her phone number is (204) 258-6777. You can call her to meet you outside when you arrive, if you need help from your vehicle. Her desk is beside Security by the main entrance. Here she keeps the family locker keys and her desktop computer – which happily Googles places, routes, and directions to various spots within the city!

Thanks so much for checking out our website, and for taking the time to learn more about what it is that we offer. Make sure you say hi to Bree during your next visit to SSCY Centre!

Dec 05, 2016

The last part of our SSCY Centre Blog series is about Success Heights, the Meeting Place and Kids’ Care Corner! Part 4 was about Innovation Station, Renovation Station, and the Picture Studio. Make sure to read all of our Blog posts to learn about our different neighbourhoods!

Success Heights is where administrative offices for many of the SSCY partners are.

Nov 07, 2016

Part 4 of our SSCY Centre Blog series is about Innovation Station, Renovation Station, and the Picture Studio! Part 3 was about Clinic Crossing, the Speech and Hearing Junction, and Ability Acres. Make sure to read our Blog each month to learn about all of our different neighbourhoods!

Sep 12, 2016

Part 3 of our SSCY Centre Blog series is about Clinic Crossing, the Speech and Hearing Junction, and Ability Acres! Part 1 was about some of the special things in the building, and Part 2 was about The Square, Central Park and Discovery Park. Make sure to read our Blog each month to learn about all of our neighbourhoods!

In Clinic Crossing you will find the Winnipeg office of the Children’s Therapy Initiative, the Rehabilitation Centre for Children Clinics, the Child Development Clinic, and the Manitoba FASD Centre.

Children’s Therapy Initiative (CTI) makes it easy to get different services. Parents, caregivers, doctors and other clinicians may make referrals through CTI for audiology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech-language pathology services. You can learn more about CTI here.

Check in at our reception desk when you come for a clinic appointment. There are a lot of toys and activities to play with while you wait! There is also a Family Quiet Room, if you want a quiet place to sit.

On one busy clinic day a group of kids started a game of The Floor is Lava using the shadows made by the hanging leaves. We are really happy that kids are having fun together in our new building!

There are many different clinics in Clinic Crossing, and enough big rooms to fit everybody! Some of our rooms have special equipment for the different clinics.

In the Speech and Hearing Junction there is Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, and the Specialized Communication Resources for Children program.

Check in at front reception for your appointment in the Speech and Hearing Junction.

Our Audiology Area has many rooms and kinds of equipment for all of our different services. For example, we have a special sound treated room to check children’s hearing. We also have a room that is only used when children need hearing aids.

The Specialized Communication Resources for Children library is here too. The Library has over 700 adapted children’s picture books and activities you can borrow! You can learn more about it here.

Ability Acres is where Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy are.

Check in at front reception for your appointment in Ability Acres.

Our big gym has a lot of different types of equipment for everybody!

We also have a room where you can practice activities of daily living, like getting into a bathtub. This room helps children and youth learn and practice important skills!

You can learn more about the programs and services in these neighbourhoods here. We are all getting used to our new home, and we hope that you like coming to SSCY Centre too!

Aug 01, 2016

Part 1 of our blog series about SSCY Centre told you about some of the special things in the building. The next few posts will tell you more about the different neighbourhoods! Up first are The Square, Central Park and Discovery Park.

When you first come into SSCY Centre, you are in The Square!

You should check-in with our receptionists, and they will tell you where to go for your appointment

The SSCY Concierge can help you with parking, getting around the building, moving equipment, and other things you may want help with

Central Park is our inside play area. We have lots of toys, activities and places to sit. Kids of all ages (and parents and staff!) like playing with the gel bubbles, car track, and digital fish tank. One extra fun thing is our waterfall that you can touch. There have even been reports of little break-ins to try to touch the waterfall from the receptionists’ side! A lot of families come early before their appointment so that they can play in Central Park!

Discovery Park is our outside play area. The Rehabilitation Centre for Children Broadway Bear stands guard in front of our fenced garden. There are sand and water play areas, talking tubes, wind chimes, drums, and toys. We also have tables with umbrellas for our hot summer days. Make sure to visit Discovery Park before it snows!

Jul 05, 2016

Since we are all new to the beautiful SSCY Centre, our next series of blog posts will let you know about some of the cool things in the building! SSCY Centre is in the historic Christie’s Biscuits Building (which was built in 1932!), at 1155 Notre Dame Ave in Winnipeg. We moved in during the spring of 2016. SSCY Centre was designed for our children, youth and families. It is important that families are comfortable here, and that SSCY Centre is safe and welcoming for everybody.

You can learn about all the amenities in SSCY Centre here, but here are some special things!

The building has two floors, and is almost 93 000 square feet big! We need such a big building to fit all of our programs and services.

The original building had a lot of windows and skylights, which now help make SSCY Centre a very bright and cheerful place!

SSCY clients and families can park for free in front of the building. 12 of the parking spots are extra big to make it easier to load and un-load equipment.

There are 23 washrooms in SSCY Centre. There is space in all the washrooms for different types of equipment, most have change tables, three have showers for families to use, and four have overhead lifts.

Families can borrow strollers, wheelchairs and lockers while at SSCY Centre. Just ask at Front Reception!

We have free WIFI for families to use while at SSCY Centre.

SSCY Centre is made up of many neighbourhoods. Something different happens in each neighbourhood, and each one has its own colour. Our neighbourhoods are:

The Square– multi-coloured

Central Park– multi-coloured

Discovery Park – dark green

Clinic Crossing – light blue

Ability Acres – dark blue

Speech & Hearing Junction – light green

Innovation Station – purple

Renovation Station – purple

The Picture Studio – yellow

Kids’ Care Corner – orange

Success Heights – beige

Meeting Place – gray blue

Garage – gray

Since we are in a new building, a lot of people don’t know what’s nearby! Our website has directions to SSCY Centre here and a list of things near SSCY Centre here. If you know of something good near SSCY Centre please let us know, so that we can help each other explore our new neighbourhood!

Specialized Services for Children and Youth (SSCY) is an initiative focused on the integration and, where possible, co-location, of services for Manitoba children and youth with disabilities and special needs.